is really superior. I have that (and just that) on old-fashioned oatmeal every morning (regular readers probably know I eat healthy food…although I will admit to sometimes eating too much of it). 😉 If we travel, we take a jar with us on the trip. My Significant Other keeps one at work.

However, our local grocery store stopped carrying it. I prefer it not roasted and not organic.

Amazon does have it (hence the link above), but at the time of writing, it’s $8.91 per bottle, not available through Amazon Prime…and $4.67 shipping. Love it as I do, that would be hard to justify, especially as we have a changing economic situation.

I found it at Jet (owned by Walmart) for about $4.45 each, with free shipping. I did need to buy ten of them, and I saved a quarter by getting it one day later (which was still just a few days). 🙂

This is actually the second time I’ve done it…the first time it went really well.

This time, the packaging was…amusing, although not really, when you consider the environmental impact.

Here is a picture of the box:

That box is big! It could be

a crate for a German shepherd

a parking garage for a Big Wheel

an amazing entrance for two contortionists in Cirque du Soleil

😉

Each spice bottle (which would easily fit in your hand) was:

taped closed

put in a Ziploc bag

wrapped in tissue paper and a sort of rattan (?) mesh…until it was probably three times its size. Maybe longer than a paper towel roll, as thick as a thermos. Kind of like juggling pins or bowling pins, without the top handle part

those wrapped packages were then packed with brown paper…tons of it, enough to make a few outfits for Lady Gaga 😉

Yes, it’s thoughtful. Certainly, the bottles were not going to break through any normal handling, and most abnormal handling. It would be a tremendous challenge for robots to do this.

Fortunately, except for the Ziploc (and they aren’t that brand) bags and possibly the tissue paper (although I’ve seen conflicting answers on that) it is probably recyclable.

As I went to write this I saw that Amazon currently has the organic (which is acceptable for us, just not quite as good) through Prime Pantry for $3.21. They have eight of them right now (when I’ve looked before, they’ve been out). I think we successfully did a Prime Pantry order once before…I’ll definitely look at that again when we order next time. We could order enough to fill a pantry box…and it wouldn’t be as big as this Jet box!

Bottom line: I’d rather buy from Amazon…

What do you think? Have you bought from Jet? Would you prefer to buy everything from Amazon if you could? Would you pay a bit more for the privilege? Do you just buy things wherever they are least expensive? Feel free to let me and my readers know what you think by commenting on this post.

* I am linking to the same thing at the regular Amazon site, and at AmazonSmile. When you shop at AmazonSmile, half a percent of your purchase price on eligible items goes to a non-profit you choose. It will feel just like shopping at Amazon: you’ll be using your same account. The one thing for you that is different is that you pick a non-profit the first time you go (which you can change whenever you want)…and the good feeling you’ll get. Shop ’til you help!

This post by Bufo Calvin originally appeared in the I Love My Kindle blog. To support this or other blogs/organizations, buy Amazon Gift Cards from a link on the site, then use those to buy your items. There will be no cost to you, and a benefit to them.

While I’m not at all tempted to switch, I am impressed with the features…and with a marketing introduction which I admire, and appears to be working; it’s been years since I’ve seen the “Kindle Killer” stories in the blogosphere. 😉

The price is $229.99, which is $60 less than Amazon’s top of the line Kindle Oasis…in fact, you could buy the new Kobo and the entry level Fire tablet for the price of the Oasis.

What does the Aura ONE have going for it?

It can automatically adjust the amount of blue light, meaning it has a day mode, and a mode which won’t tend to disrupt your sleep. While the Fire tablets now have a blue light filter option (“Blue Shade”), that doesn’t adjust automatically and it’s not on the Kindle EBRs. You can also adjust it manually.

Do we want this for the Kindle EBRs? Sure, why not? I actually have my

light turned all the way down when I read in bed…but I do have superior night vision, which may be connected to some color vision deficiency.

It has built-in Overdrive: borrow e-books from your public library easily. It looks to me like you set up OverDrive with your public library, and then you’ll have a choice of buying it or borrowing it from your public library (if available). Seems like it will just be a tap of a button, although it might not be quite that simple.

Why would they do that? Won’t that hurt their sales?

They say they looked at data, and that people who were serious readers both bought and borrowed books.

Yep…there is a “myth of scarcity”, that suggests that there tends to be only so much of a resource, so it will only be allocated in limited ways. In this case, it would be that people spend X amount for books…so, if they borrow a book, that reduces the number of books they buy.

However, it could be that they buy the same number of the books they did before, plus they borrow library books. It could even be that they buy more books…they borrow a book, like it, and then buy other books in the series or buy that book for other people.

Before I mention more features, I want to mention that marketing angle.

Kobo is positioning this as customers being involved in the design process. They say, “Designed with the help of our most passionate customers.”

Now, Amazon has clearly had customers looking at devices before they are released (that’s why they can have blurbs for the announcement press release). They don’t, though, identify those people in the way Kobo is doing. I think that’s effective. It makes people think that Kobo is listening to its customers.

More on features:

It’s waterproof: something Amazon has yet to do (but I think we may see that in new models in September)

They have a lot of options for the appearance of the text: “…weight and sharpness settings exclusive to Kobo, as well as the ability to choose from over 50 font sizes and 11 font types”. The Oasis has nine fonts and eight sizes

The ONE weighs 230g: that’s more than the Oasis when it doesn’t have its cover (it’s 131g or 133g, depending on whether it has 3G or not). The cover adds 107g…which makes the Oasis in its cover heavier than the ONE without a cover…but I would guess many people will read the ONE in a cover

The other big difference is that it is, well…bigger. 😉 That’s in terms of screen size: it’s 7.8″, compared to 6″ for all of the current Kindle EBRs.

Honestly, I don’t think I’d like that better. I had an 8.9″ tablet (one of a bunch of devices stolen in a home break-in), and it was too big to fit comfortably in pockets in my “utility vest” which I wear on the weekends. I like the form actor of the Voyage and Paperwhite. On the other hand, my now discontinued Kindle Fire HDX 7″ isn’t too big, so maybe it would be okay.

Bottom line: I think this has some great features, and Kobo has been, I think, thoughtful in the design. Amazon has other great features, and the obvious one is that it’s compatible with my Kindle books. 😉 That’s by no means the only thing, though: Amazon’s customer service is so good (in my experience, and based on surveys) that it is a major advantage.

I expect this will drive further development on Amazon’s part, giving us Kindleers even better devices in the future.

Bonus deal: speaking of devices, two Kindle EBRs are $20 off at time of writing:

Those are both good models (I own the both). I like the Paperwhite very much, and this is the new entry level Kindle with Bluetooth audio.

What do you think? Which of these features would you want in future Kindles? Have you owned or do you own a Kobo? What would make you switch to another model…if anything? Would you have two different libraries to use two different devices? Feel free to let me and my readers know what you think by commenting on this post.

* I am linking to the same thing at the regular Amazon site, and at AmazonSmile. When you shop at AmazonSmile, half a percent of your purchase price on eligible items goes to a non-profit you choose. It will feel just like shopping at Amazon: you’ll be using your same account. The one thing for you that is different is that you pick a non-profit the first time you go (which you can change whenever you want)…and the good feeling you’ll get. Shop ’til you help! By the way, it’s been interesting lately to see Amazon remind me to “start at AmazonSmile” if I check a link on the original Amazon site. I do buy from AmazonSmile, but I have a lot of stored links I use to check for things.

This post by Bufo Calvin originally appeared in the I Love My Kindle blog. To support this or other blogs/organizations, buy Amazon Gift Cards from a link on the site, then use those to buy your items. There will be no cost to you, and a benefit to them.

It might seem odd that I’m taking the most expensive in one category and the least expensive in the other, but in terms of the options, they’ve really homogenized the experience across a given model line.

I’m using the same edition of the same book on both: it’s a version of Alice in Wonderland which I’ve been using for demos since the first Kindle was released…it’s not available any more, though.

Okay, let’s compare!

The Aa button

On the Voyage:

8 font sizes

7 fonts

3 line spacing options

3 margin options

On the Fire:

12 font sizes

8 fonts (Helvatica Light is the additional one)

3 line spacing options

3 margin options

4 color options

Brightness slider

The Fire wins on this one. The color in particular matters to me…I often read with white font on a black background, although I also like the Sepia scheme.

Sharing options

The Voyage

Goodreads

Facebook

Twitter

The Fire

Goodreads

Facebook

Twitter

E-mail

Bluetooth

This one also goes to the Fire.

Notes

The Voyage

Tap the screen, tap the menu, tap Notes

Yours | Popular | Public

Note are shown. You can delete or share (Goodreads, Facebook, Twitter)

The Fire

Tap the screen, tap the notebook (one step fewer)

I only seen mine here initially

Delete, favorite

There may be more to this somewhere else on the Fire, but despite it being easier to get to on the Fire, the Voyage gave me more options, so this one goes to the Voyage.

Settings

The Voyage

Shop Kindle Store

Vocabulary

Settings (device settings)

Notes

Landscape Mode

About This Book

About the Author

Sync to Furthest Page Read

Reading Progress

Word Wise

The Fire

Popular Highlights

About This Book

Auto-Download Companion Audiobooks

Text-to-Speech

Whispersync for Books

Notifications

Word Wise

Magazine Page Curl

This is a bit mixed, but I like what I see on the Voyage better…I’m going to call it a wash, though, because different things are in different places on the devices.

Navigation

The Voyage

Beginning

Page or Location

Cover

Chapters

End

The Fire

This one has a combined menu. Go to does page or location. Also here…

About This Book

Search

Sync

Switch to Audiobook (the Voyage doesn’t have audio

Go to Beginning

Before You Go

Cover

Chapters

I can also go directly from here to my library

Got to give this to the Voyage…more interesting options.

Long-pressing the word “perhaps”

The Voyage

Dictionary definition

Wikipedia

Translation (16 languages)

Highlight

Note

Share

Search (This Book, All Text, Kindle Store)

Report Content Error

The Fire

Wikipedia

Translation (16 languages)

Dictionary

Color

Note

Copy

Share

Search in Book

Search the Web

Hm…I like having “Report Content Error” on the Voyage, but being able to copy and paste on the Fire is a real advantage. No winner.

Other unique options

The Voyage

Page flip, which lets you look ahead in the book without changing your place

The Fire

Word Runner (speed reading one word at a time)

Syncing with an audiobook/immersion reading

These are too different to call. I personally don’t really use any of them. 🙂

The Fire can also use enhanced books to play video, and show images/charts in color.

Overall

While it may seem from this that the Fire Tablet has more options, and it does, the Voyage is still a more comfortable read for me.

That has to do with the screen technology.

The Fire tablet is backlit: the light is behind what you are reading, shining into your eyes.

The Voyage has the light in front of the screen, pointing at the screen. You read it the same way you read a paperbook, with the light reflecting off the object.

Another advantage of the Voyage is the battery life…weeks rather than hours.

For me, it’s pretty simple.

If you just want to read text, the Voyage is better.

If you are looking at images, want sound (text-to-speech or audiobooks), and want other features (apps, music, video, web), and want to save money, you go with the Fire.

I do most of my reading on my now discontinued Kindle Fire HDX tablet, but I also read every day on a Voyage and sometimes on a Paperwhite.

I hope that’s helpful. If you have other questions, or want to share your thoughts with me and my readers, feel free to comment on this post.

* I am linking to the same thing at the regular Amazon site, and at AmazonSmile. When you shop at AmazonSmile, half a percent of your purchase price on eligible items goes to a non-profit you choose. It will feel just like shopping at Amazon: you’ll be using your same account. The one thing for you that is different is that you pick a non-profit the first time you go (which you can change whenever you want)…and the good feeling you’ll get. Shop ’til you help! By the way, it’s been interesting lately to see Amazon remind me to “start at AmazonSmile” if I check a link on the original Amazon site. I do buy from AmazonSmile, but I have a lot of stored links I use to check for things.

This post by Bufo Calvin originally appeared in the I Love My Kindle blog. To support this or other blogs/organizations, buy Amazon Gift Cards from a link on the site, then use those to buy your items. There will be no cost to you, and a benefit to them.

Like this:

When the Amazon Kindle was first introduced in November of 2007, there were already more than ten devices dedicated to reading e-books in the US market…it’s just that none of them were doing much here. 🙂 Even Sony, which was a powerhouse in the consumer electronics market, had them…and that included with a non-backlit screen.

Amazon revolutionized the market with their $400 device…having an E Ink screen was important, but there were really two other things which moved it from a techie, niche device to a more mainstream one (at least among readers).

One was the ability to wirelessly download books. Having to cable your device to a computer to get a book was a considerable hurdle to many people.

The other one was…that it was Amazon. 🙂 Now, there was intense skepticism among tech writers that Amazon could successfully introduced hardware, but there wasn’t any skepticism among readers that Amazon could sell them books.

Before the Kindle, the e-book market was techies.

With the Kindle, the e-book market was readers.

Over time, I’ve written about a number of non-Amazon devices…and they aren’t all still around.

I leave the links on the website, even though some of them don’t go anywhere, partially to preserve the list historically. For those of you using screen readers, and even those without, I know it can be difficult to click on a broken link. I’ll go through and re-label those or do something with them to explain the situation.

So, in the USA, for non-backlit EBRs (which is part of how I define an EBR now), it’s largely the Kindle, the nook, and the Kobos.

Part of that may be that people have transitioned reading e-books to tablets…you can get a tablet cheaper than an EBR, and have color, text-to-speech, audiobooks, and animation (for enhanced e-books). The sight-reading experience for me is better on a non-backlit device (I usually read on two different ones a day), but because of text-to-speech, I’d say most of my reading is on my now discontinued Kindle Fire HDX. That’s not just because of using TTS…since that’s my device that does TTS and I usually use that for hours every weekday, it’s the device I carry with me. When I do sight-read at work, it’s on my Kindle Fire.

Okay, let’s take a look at what is available currently (not used or refurbished) from those three companies.

I read on a Paperwhite and a Voyage (two different rooms), and like them both.

The basic Kindle above doesn’t have a light.

The Voyage has a different way to change pages than the Paperwhite.

We may get a new model or more from Amazon this year…I’ve predicted they’ll do a “waterproof” one.

Kobo

Kobo Touch 2.0 $89.99

Kobo Glo HD $129.99

Kobo Aura H20 $189.99

Kobos are seen as being quality devices, and I would consider them perhaps the strongest competitor (going into the future) for the Kindle.

Their Touch is $10 more than the basic Kindle (which also has touch), and the Glo is $10 more than the Paperwhite.

The H20, though, is $10 less than the Voyage…and it is “waterproof”.

Also, those prices are compared to the lowest Kindle prices…and some people don’t want to see ads on their devices in order to get them initially at a discount. If you don’t want the ads, the Kobos are cheaper.

nook

NOOK (they have been inconsistent on capitalization) GlowLight Plus $129.99

Frontlit, touchscreen, waterproof, and it does DRM ePUB (Digital Rights Management protected) which the Kindles don’t.

—

So, what would I recommend?

First, I wouldn’t go with the nook, unless you are already heavily invested in nook books. I just don’t think you can count on the company’s future, especially with regard to EBRs. The company name might be around for a long time, and the nook name may be on tablets, but I think it’s a risk. Also, right from the beginning, the customer service for the devices has been markedly superior (both in execution and policies) for the Kindle over the nook. If you already have nooks and want to stay with this, this is a good model with some nice features.

The Kobos are, from what I understand (I’ve never owned one), good devices and their owners like them. I think Kobo is a much more stable company than Barnes & Noble (looking at EBRs for the latter for sure). I don’t think this is a bad choice, but…

I’d go with the Kindles. Again, Amazon’s Customer Service is great on these, and they fit pretty nicely into the Amazon ecosystem, which you may be using for other things. I also like them as devices. 🙂 For most people, I would go with the Paperwhite. Having the light (it’s a frontlight, not a backlight) is really worth it over the least expensive model. The Voyage is a bit nicer, and there’s nothing wrong with going for that. Again, for most people, though, I think they’ll see the Paperwhite as a better value.

If I look at this again two years from now, I’m not convinced we’ll have the nook (it should survive this holiday season, but might be eliminated in 2017), but I do think we’ll have the Kindles and the Kobos. I don’t see somebody else getting into the market right at this point, although that might happen if reflective screen technology gets a lot cheaper. We may also still see some sort of “dualume” screens, that have both reflective and backlit screens, or reflective screens may add color and/or animation as their technology improves.

What do you think? Did/do you own a non-Kindle EBR? How do you feel about it? Have I left off an EBR in the USA? Am I underestimating Barnes & Noble’s future involvement with EBRs? Feel free to tell me and my readers what you think by commenting on this post.

When you shop at AmazonSmile, half a percent of your purchase price on eligible items goes to a non-profit you choose. It will feel just like shopping at Amazon: you’ll be using your same account. The one thing for you that is different is that you pick a non-profit the first time you go (which you can change whenever you want)…and the good feeling you’ll get. Shop ’til you help!

This post by Bufo Calvin originally appeared in the I Love My Kindle blog. To support this or other blogs/organizations, buy Amazon Gift Cards from a link on the site, then use those to buy your items. There will be no cost to you, and a benefit to them.

It suggests that there is either one correct answer, or that complete strangers on an online forum know you well enough to know what’s better in your situation. 🙂

People are often helpful on the forum. One of the first comments you’ll typically see is, “If you want it mostly for reading, you should get the Paperwhite.”

Is that true, though?

Like a lot of people, I have both an HDX and a Paperwhite. I actively use them both…and yes, I actively read on them both.

My Fire is what goes with me when I leave the house…I need its other capabilities (like viewing and doing light editing of Excel files), and an important one I’ll mention a bit later in the article.

I read my Paperwhite in bed before going to sleep.

I don’t think it’s a matter of a simple black and white answer (and I’m not talking about the grayscale of the Paperwhite). 😉 The Paperwhite is better for me for some reading tasks, the Fire is better for others.

In this post, I’m going to compare the two.

Let’s get one thing out of the way first: the screen technology.

The Kindle Fire has a “backlit” screen. You read what is on it by a light coming from behind the image: the text is between you and the light source.

That’s how a lot of technology works: laptops, desktops, TVs, SmartPhones (at least, all the popular ones at this point).

You read what is on a Paperwhite by light bouncing off the screen from the front: the same way you read a p-book (paperbook).

Before the Paperwhite, you needed an external light source to read a non-Fire Kindle.

The Paperwhite has a built-in light…and that light is in front of the screen, not behind it: it’s “frontlit”. It’s on the same side of the screen that you are (like a booklight would be that you clip on to a book).

Some people don’t like reading backlit screens for long periods…they say it tires their eyes (or gives them headaches…I’ve heard both). That’s understandable: if you stared at a flashlight or a lit lamp for a while, that would tire you, too.

I don’t think the Fire is as harsh as a lot of devices: you can change the brightness, and have different text backgrounds…so I don’t find that it bothers me.

Backlighting takes up a lot more battery charge life than the Paperwhite’s frontlighting. A backlit screen requires a constant application of energy to maintain the image. With the technology in the Paperwhite, it “draws the page”…and doesn’t need more energy to maintain the image. The Paperwhite is like an Etch-a-Sketch in that way. It takes energy to draw a house on an Etch-a-Sketch, but if you don’t shake it, the image will stay there with no more effort.

A backlit device is like a garden hose: the Paperwhite is like a puddle.

It’s a huge difference. I charge my Fire every day. I charge my Paperwhite every couple of weeks (reading on it every day…although not for more than a half an hour or so).

The last thing on this screen technology is reading in bright light. A backlit device (the Fire) has to compete with light hitting the screen from the front…and it’s not going to win against the sun. 🙂 More light makes a Paperwhite easier to read, and because it has that frontlit screen, it’s also easy to read in a dark room. The Paperwhite is the most comfortable reading experience I’ve had…including paper.

I’m always able to read on my Fire outside, but it’s not as easy. Crank the brightness up all the way, and keep the device between you and the sun. If it feels like you are shading your eyes with your Fire, you are in a good position. For example, you might be leaning back, holding the Fire above chin level, with the bottom of it farther away from you than the top. Of course, don’t set it up where you might slip and end up looking directly into the sun!

Okay, let’s say you’ve got the lighting where it works for you. What about options when you read?

Fonts

Kindle Fire HDX: 7

Paperwhite (I’m using the latest edition): 6

Font Sizes

Kindle Fire HDX: 11

Paperwhite: 9

Font/Background Combination Options

Kindle Fire HDX: 4 (including white on black)

Paperwhite: 1

Margins

Kindle Fire HDX: 3

Paperwhite: 3

Line Spacing

Kindle Fire HDX: 3

Paperwhite: 3

The Fire wins on three of these, and it’s a tie on the two others.

Text-to-speech

Kindle Fire HDX: yes

Paperwhite: no

The Paperwhite doesn’t have any audio capabilities. My guess is that they did that to make it cost less, and to reduce battery drain. This is the thing I said I was going to mention later. 🙂 I use TTS (software which reads the book aloud to you) pretty much every workday for an hour or more a day in the car. I love this! I like to say that driving is no longer wasted “non-reading time”. 😉 The TTS on the KFHDX is much superior to what we had on the Kindle 2 (it sounds more natural, makes fewer errors, and there are more choices), and it’s better than what we had on later non-Fire Kindles with TTS.

The Fire wins this one…hands down.

Oh, and that also means no immersion reading for the Paperwhite (where you can hear a voice and see the words at the same time), which the Fire has.

X-Ray (gives you information about the book)

Kindle Fire HDX: yes

Paperwhite: yes

It’s a tie.

Annotations: Notes, Highlights, Bookmarks

Kindle Fire HDX: yes

Paperwhite: yes

I like the experience of Notes better on the Fire. It’s one tap to get to the Notes icon, and it’s two on the Paperwhite. You have multiple color highlights on the Fire. The interface with the notes and highlights seems easier on the Fire: long press (hold your finger or stylus on it for about a second) and you can view, edit, or delete. On the Fire, Bookmarks are labeled as Bookmarks…not on the Paperwhite.

I’m going to give this to the Fire.

Look-up

Kindle Fire HDX: X-Ray (including a Shelfari link), Dictionary, Wikipedia, Translation, in the book, and on the web

The Fire seems to do this faster, and has more information (Shelfari has some great stuff), but I do like being able to search the Kindle Store on the Paperwhite. Still, I’d give this to the Fire.

Color, embedded or linked video or audio

Kindle Fire HDX: yes

Paperwhite: no

You might not use this much. Still, it’s nice if you are reading about Martin Luther King and can actually jump to the dream speech. This one goes to the Fire, although again, you might not care about it.

Sharing

Kindle Fire HDX: Goodreads, Twitter, Facebook

Paperwhite: Goodreads, Twitter, Facebook

It’s a tie.

Report a Content Error

Kindle Fire HDX: no (if you know of a way, please let me know!)

Paperwhite: yes

This one goes to the Paperwhite.

Overall? I’m actually surprised that the Fire wins in so many categories. That doesn’t mean that I don’t recommend the Paperwhite: the more comfortable reading experience and the long battery charge life are strong pluses. Also, a lot of people like the lack of distractions (although the Fire does have a “Quiet Time” setting.

What do you think? I’m sure some of you want to leap to the defense of the Paperwhite, and I understand that. 🙂 Have I missed any advantages? I suppose I should have said that the Paperwhite is smaller, although the weight isn’t all that different…the KFHDX wi-fi only is 10.7 oz (303 grams), and the Paperwhite wi-fi only is 7.3 ounces (206 grams). I’ve heard that ten US pennies weight about an ounce, if that helps. 😉 The Paperwhite is cheaper ($119 vs $199 in their cheapest configurations at time of writing), but I don’t know if I’d consider that part of the reading experience. 😉 Are there other advantages you see with one or the other? Feel free to let me and my readers know what you think by commenting on this post. You can also let me know if you have other comparison questions about them that way.

Update: thanks to reader burmmom for a comment which improved this post!

* I am linking to the same thing at the regular Amazon site, and at AmazonSmile. When you shop at AmazonSmile, half a percent of your purchase price on eligible items goes to a non-profit you choose. It will feel just like shopping at Amazon: you’ll be using your same account. The one thing for you that is different is that you pick a non-profit the first time you go (which you can change whenever you want)…and the good feeling you’ll get. Shop ’til you help! By the way, it’s been interesting lately to see Amazon remind me to “start at AmazonSmile” if I check a link on the original Amazon site. I do buy from AmazonSmile, but I have a lot of stored links I use to check for things.

This post by Bufo Calvin originally appeared in the I Love My Kindle blog. To support this or other blogs/organizations, buy Amazon Gift Cards from a link on the site, then use those to buy your items. There will be no cost to you, and a benefit to them.

Like this:

Amazon has recently announced new versions of the Kindle Paperwhite and of the Kindle Fire. While it is possible that more announcements will be made for this holiday season (it wouldn’t surprise me to see a price drop on the lowest priced Kindle, for example), these are likely to be the ones you are considering right now. If I need to come back and revise in light of announcements which may come later this year, I will. I do think it is possible that some models may be in short supply: I’m particularly impressed with some features of the new Kindle Fire HDX line, which may considerably broaden their appeal (particularly as workplace devices).

I should also mention that this information is based on the USA. Not all models are available in all countries, and prices may vary.

I am only going to list devices available new from Amazon. There may be refurbished models available (including the popular Kindle Touch model), but the price is going to be more variable and availability much less predictable. You can find them here: Certified Refurbished Kindles. Certified Refurbished Kindles can be an excellent buy. They have been reviewed carefully by Amazon, and typically carry the same warranty as one you buy new.

A note for upgraders: the Kindle Paperwhite 2 appears to be the same dimensions as the Kindle Paperwhite first generation, so your old covers should still fit. The same is not the case for the Kindle Fire: for example, the Kindle Fire 8.9 HDX is actually smaller than last year’s Kindle Fire 8.9 HD.

I’m going to list the models available new in order of price, lowest to highest.

Definitions

RSK (Reflective Screen Kindle): an EBR (E-Book Reader) which does not have lighting behind the image. RSKs are particularly good for long form reading, having a long battery life compared to a backlit device. They can be read easily in bright light, because you read them by light reflecting off of them (the same way you read a paperbook). The technology does not “refresh the screen” quickly enough to handle video. While they can play some games, their primary function is reading. The screens on the earlier models used a brand name technology called E Ink. RSKs currently do not do color images.

Tablet: a backlit device, similar in that way to a laptop, desktop, or SmartPhone. You read what is on the screen by a light coming from behind it. In bright light, they can be hard to read, because the light coming from behind the screen is competing with the light hitting the screen from the front (the sun, for example). Tablets can do full animation (meaning you can watch movies and TV shows, and play games that require animation). They can show many colors. They are good for visiting websites. The software is flexible, and you can install many types of “apps” on them. The battery charge life is much shorter than on an RSK: a day of full use will require a recharge.

Frontlit: a reflective screen device that has been equipped with a built-in light facing the screen. That’s what the Kindle Paperwhite is, as well as some models from other companies. This will allow you to read in bright light and in darkness, although because it does not change the underlying technology of the RSK screen, it does not allow for video or color. In some ways, it is the best of both worlds for e-books. The Paperwhite is the most comfortable reading experience I’ve had, including p-books (paperbooks). The battery charge life is also remarkably long: more comparable to an RSK than to a backlit device.

Wi-fi: a short-range wireless broadcast of the internet, typically the size of one building or so. Customers will usually use wi-fi they are broadcasting themselves in their own homes, or at a public wi-fi spot (many restaurants provide it).

3G: a method of connecting to the internet similar to a cell phone.

4G: another method of connecting to the internet, but faster than 3G.

Special Offers: devices with “Special Offers” have their initial price reduced because they are supported by advertisers. You see advertising on the device when it is “sleeping”, and a small ad at the bottom of the screen where you select the book you want to read. The advertising does not appear in the books themselves. Note: you will probably need to click a choice on the product page to get one without Special Offers. The links I give you will take you to the product page, but some features need to be selected manually on those pages.

GB: short for “gigabyte”, it’s a unit of measure of memory. The more gigabytes you have on the device, the more things you can store on it. That’s not likely to be an issue with e-books, but could possibly be with movies. More GBs cost you more. Many people recommend getting as much as you afford. I usually go on the lower end, since I keep most of my content in the Cloud/archives, and download it as I needed. I tend to keep about ten Kindle store books on one of my devices at a time. That gives me enough time to download more before I run out. If I was going to be out of wi-fi range for a week, though, I might download books before I went. If I’m on a long flight and want to have a couple of movies downloaded, I do have to be aware of the memory use.

Front-facing camera, rear-facing camera: a front-facing camera is looking at you while you are looking at the screen. It’s good for videocalls (such as Skype), but awkward to use to take pictures of other people. A rear-facing camera is on the back of the device, looking the same way you are looking when the screen is facing towards you…similar to a typical still or videocamera.

Must Have Features

There are many things that Kindles have in common, but not every Kindle has every feature. I’m going to list some of the features that people insist on having, and tell you which models available new have it. Note: it is very important to realize that features may be made available to older models in updates (that has happened), but may not. Don’t be surprised if you reject a model because it didn’t have something, and then it was added retroactively. That’s not going to happen with hardware features (a Kindle Paperwhite is not going to be able to download speakers to it), and software features may have hardware limitations that keep them off the older models:

Audiobooks: Kindle DX, Kindle Fires

Collections (the ability to organize your e-books on your device in to groupings you define): currently, Paperwhites, Kindle DX. “Cloud Collections”, which appear to be a similar ability that can be shared centrally between apps and devices, have been announced for the Kindle Fire HDX, the 7″ Kindle Fire HD (but not the 8.9″, which is last year’s model), and the new Kindle Paperwhites.

Text-to-speech (the Kindle can read any text downloaded to it out loud to you, unless that ability is blocked by the publisher. It will not be able to read websites or typical PDFs): Kindle DX, Kindle Fires

Touchscreen: Paperwhite, Kindle Fires

===

Priced at $69

Kindle (“Mindle”) with Special Offers
Available: now (it was announced September 6, 2012)
Type: RSK

The Mindle (my name for it: it’s also called the “Baby Kindle” and the “Starter Kindle” and the “Kindle 4”) is the lightest Kindle, and the least expensive. It’s an excellent starter model, and can be good for children. If you just want something on which to sight-read books, it’s a good choice. It does not have speakers, so audiobooks are out, and there is no text-to-speech. It does not have a touchscreen or a physical keyboard (you navigate through letters on screen), but does have physical page turn buttons. SELECT OPTIONS ON PRODUCT PAGE.

Like the Mindle, this is designed primarily for sight-reading: no audio. However, one of the key differences is a new patented light system. The light is still directed at what you are reading, and not your eyes. You can adjust the light for all conditions: bright light outside and in a darkened room. Even with the light being used, the battery life is twice that of the Mindle…reading half an hour a day with wireless off, the Paperwhite will last about eight weeks versus the Mindle’s four weeks. The Paperwhite has a touch screen, compared to the Mindle’s “five-way controller”. The touch screen has also been improved over there Kindle Touch, which it is effectively replacing. The Paperwhite also has these features which are not on the Mindle:

X-Ray (background information about characters and things in a book with no wireless connection necessary to use it…a good study aid)

Time to Read (estimates how long it will take you, based on your personal reading speed, to finish a chapter or a book)

Instant translations

New (I’ll be testing and reporting on these new features soon): Page Flip, which will let you look ahead in the book without losing your place

New: automatically build flashcards for vocabulary words which you look up in the onboard dictionary

For someone who wants a Kindle for reading, but wants more…a high school versus an elementary school student, a serious reader who wants to read anywhere, any time, the Paperwhite is going to be the best choice. SELECT OPTIONS ON PRODUCT PAGE.

If you want web-surfing, video, and popular apps like Angry Birds and Where’s My Water?, you need a tablet. At $139, this is the lowest priced Amazon tablet. What are you missing if you get this one, rather than the $229 Kindle Fire HDX model? It has no microphone, no camera, and does not come with Mayday (the onscreen live technical help). The screen isn’t as good and the processor isn’t as fast as the HDX models, but those stats would have been considered quite good a year ago.

If you don’t need to impress with the state-of-the-art, and you need something to entertain the kids or get the job done at work (as long as that job doesn’t require a camera), this is going to be a good buy. SELECT OPTIONS ON PRODUCT PAGE.

This is the state of the art Amazon tablet in the 7″ size. I’ve had a Kindle Fire 1st generation, and 8.9″ Kindle Fire HD (2nd generation), and this is the one I’ve ordered for myself (look for my review and information on it shortly after release). The Mayday feature may make it a particularly attractive gift for getting people who aren’t as comfortable with tech able to do things like Skype (and e-mail, for that matter). Why would you move up to the $379 8.9? Part of it is the screen size, although for me, the 7″ has been adequate and easy to carry. The 8.9″ is also the only one with rear-facing camera (so you can take pictures easily of other people and things. The larger version has a better screen and somewhat longer battery life. I think this one may be the most popular of the new models. SELECT OPTIONS ON PRODUCT PAGE.

This is now several generations back, but has its fans and charms. It’s a large screen RSK with no built in lighting. You’ll read it in the dark the same way you would with a paperbook: with a booklight or lamp. It has a physical keyboard and physical page turn buttons. It has audio, so you can do text-to-speech, music, and audiobooks. The onboard memory is about three times that of a Kindle Paperwhite or Mindle. The battery charge life is much shorter than a Paperwhite, and shorter than a Mindle It comes with free 3G, but doesn’t have wi-fi. It doesn’t have all of the features of the Kindle Paperwhite, and isn’t likely to get them. This is old school, definitely, but might be attractive to some people for that reason, along with some of the features. SELECT OPTIONS ON PRODUCT PAGE.

This was last year’s larger screen model, and it’s the one I typically carry with me now. I do find that it is heavier and larger than I like. It is very much like this year’s $139 model, except with that larger screen, a front-facing camera (for Skype), a better screen, and about 8 ounces (a couple of hundred more grams) of weight. If you want the larger screen, but don’t want to spend the money on the HDX, this is the one. It’s also worth noting that this has an HDMI (High Definition Multimedia Interface) out port, which the HDXs don’t have. That means that with a cable which you buy separately, and a pretty modern TV, you can display what’s on your Kindle Fire on your TV. However, some apps (such as Xfinity) will block the use of the HDMI cable automatically. Still, using the Miracast wireless technology on the Kindle HDXs may mean buying an additional display device for many people. SELECT OPTIONS ON PRODUCT PAGE.

State of the art smaller tablet with no ads and the least memory. This version comes with 4G, which means you would be able to connect without having a wi-fi router near you, but you would also pay for a data plan from your carrier. Note that there are two different selections, one for AT&T and one for Verizon, not one for both. SELECT OPTIONS ON PRODUCT PAGE

State of the art smaller tablet with no ads and the least memory. This version comes with 4G, which means you would be able to connect without having a wi-fi router near you, but you would also pay for a data plan from your carrier. Note that there are two different selections, one for AT&T and one for Verizon, not one for both. SELECT OPTIONS ON PRODUCT PAGE

State of the art smaller tablet with ads and the middle amount of memory. This version comes with 4G, which means you would be able to connect without having a wi-fi router near you, but you would also pay for a data plan from your carrier. Note that there are two different selections, one for AT&T and one for Verizon, not one for both. SELECT OPTIONS ON PRODUCT PAGE

This model is it: the top of the line. Best screen and best battery life, front-facing and rear-facing cameras, all the latest features (including Mayday live on-screen help), if you want to get somebody the best, you would get the 64GB, 4G model of this one. It’s only about an ounce more than the 7″, which is remarkable (and quite a bit less than last year’s large-screen Kindle Fire HD). SELECT OPTIONS ON PRODUCT PAGE.

State of the art smaller tablet with no ads and the middle amount of memory. This version comes with 4G, which means you would be able to connect without having a wi-fi router near you, but you would also pay for a data plan from your carrier. Note that there are two different selections, one for AT&T and one for Verizon, not one for both. SELECT OPTIONS ON PRODUCT PAGE

Last year’s larger screen tablet with the middle amount of memory and 4G through AT&T (which would require a separate paid data plan) with ads. Note that there is not a Verizon option with this model. SELECT OPTIONS ON PRODUCT PAGE.

State of the art smaller tablet with ads and the most memory. This version comes with 4G, which means you would be able to connect without having a wi-fi router near you, but you would also pay for a data plan from your carrier. Note that there are two different selections, one for AT&T and one for Verizon, not one for both. SELECT OPTIONS ON PRODUCT PAGE

Last year’s larger screen tablet with the middle amount of memory and 4G through AT&T (which would require a separate paid data plan) and no ads. Note that there is not a Verizon option with this model. SELECT OPTIONS ON PRODUCT PAGE.

State of the art smaller tablet with no ads and the most memory. This version comes with 4G, which means you would be able to connect without having a wi-fi router near you, but you would also pay for a data plan from your carrier. Note that there are two different selections, one for AT&T and one for Verizon, not one for both. SELECT OPTIONS ON PRODUCT PAGE

Last year’s larger screen tablet with the most memory and 4G through AT&T (which would require a separate paid data plan) and no ads. Note that there is not a Verizon option with this model. SELECT OPTIONS ON PRODUCT PAGE.

Last year’s larger screen tablet with the most memory and 4G through AT&T (which would require a separate paid data plan) and no ads. Note that there is not a Verizon option with this model. SELECT OPTIONS ON PRODUCT PAGE.

State of the art larger screen tablet with the most memory and no ads, with 4G. SELECT OPTIONS ON PRODUCT PAGE.

===

===

That should help. 🙂 If you have specific questions, feel free to comment on this post to ask them. If you notice any errors, please also let me know: this was a complex task because of how the information is available at Amazon on the items.

Update: thanks to readers Sara Miles and Judy Schechter for comments which improved this post.

They’ve done an excellent job in making these devices sound customer-aligned…territory Amazon tried to claim in its September 5th presser (press event).

Very simply, there aren’t wild innovations that people may not understand (X-Ray for Movies, “Immersion Reading”), but things that people clearly want (no ads, customizable screen savers*).

The specs (hardware specifications) will make the gear heads happy, at least for the features on which Barnes & Noble focuses…except for memory (see below).

This is one of the best product introductions I’ve seen.

Yes, I love my Kindle, but that doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate other devices.

These aren’t Kindle Fire killers in my opinion…I do think there is room for both. However, I think this may move Barnes & Noble up in market share through the holiday season.

While Barnes & Noble and Amazon aren’t the only two players here (the market is merging in some ways), let’s take a look at this head to head. I’m going to talk about both reflective screen devices and the tablets. I compared the Kindles in an earlier post and if you are already settled that you want an Amazon device, that one will give you a good idea. In a similar way, I’m going to try to give you a sense of which Kindle or NOOK might best fit how you are going to use it.

Before I do, though, I want to say that Amazon’s Customer Service is a deciding factor for me in comparing the companies. Amazon allows the “return” of a Kindle store book in the first seven days after purchase for a refund: B&N doesn’t allow the return of NOOK Books at any time for any reason. Amazon has great Customer Service, and great involvement with their customers. I’ve never had a bad experience in a Barnes & Noble brick and mortar store, but I have had them online with them.

Reflective Screen Devices (RSDs): an EBR (E-Book Reader) which does not have lighting behind the image. RSDs are particularly good for long form reading, have a long battery life compared to a backlit device. They can be read easily in bright light, because you read them by light reflecting off of them (the same way you read a paperbook). The technology does not “refresh the screen” quickly enough to handle video. While they can play some games, their primary function is reading. The screens on the earlier models used a brand name technology called E Ink. RSDs currently do not do color images.

Tablet: a backlit device, similar in that way to a laptop, desktop, or SmartPhone. You read what is on the screen by a light coming from behind it. In bright light, they can be hard to read, because the light coming from behind the screen is competing with the light hitting the screen from the front (the sun, for example). Tablets can do full animation (meaning you can watch movies and TV shows, and play games that require animation). They can show many colors. They are good for visiting websites. The software is flexible, and you can install many types of “apps” on them. The battery charge life is much shorter than on an RSK: a day of full use will require a recharge.

The entry level RSD

If you just want to get an EBR (E-Book Reader), maybe your first one, or as an extra, or you just aren’t sure about the whole thing, Amazon owns this one with the Kindle (“Mindle”) with Special Offers. At $69 in the USA, it’s $30 cheaper than the cheapest NOOK. If you just want to read, and you don’t mind ads, it’s a good deal. It doesn’t have a touchscreen, and it doesn’t have audio (so no music, no audiobooks, no text-to-speech). You can get it without ads for $89, but that’s only $10 less than the…

Is it worth $30 more than the Mindle? If you want a touchscreen, yes, just looking at the hardware. It also has a memory expansion slot, which many people want (you can use micro SD cards for more memory). If you don’t consider the companies, this is an easy to use $99 model.

“Glow” RSDs

Barnes & Noble established the naming on frontlighting for reflective screen devices, calling it a “GlowLight”. That means that you can turn on a light to read it in low light conditions, and still read it well in bright light. If you are okay with ads and special offers, Amazon gets in the cheapest at $119 with its Kindle Paperwhite wi-fi only. If we eliminate ads, it’s a much more direct comparison at $139 to B&N’s NOOK Simple Touch™ with GlowLight™. The Barnes & Noble device has an expandable memory slot. The Paperwhite has X-Ray, a feature that gives you background about the book you are reading. Neither one has audio, and both have touchscreens. These are comparable devices, with the GlowLight perhaps having the edge on hardware, and the Paperwhite having it on software. There is also a $179 ($199 without special offers) Kindle Paperwhite 3G, which adds the ease of connecting via the cell phone network.

Update: on September 30, B&N dropped the price of the NOOK Simple Touch with GlowLight to $119…the same price as the ad-supported Paperwhite. There are people who reject ads on principle, and when these two are the same price, that will push some of those to the NOOK.

RSD with a physical keyboard

Barnes & Noble isn’t even choosing to compete on this. No touchscreen, no built-in light…but audio and free 3G. The Kindle Keyboard 3G at $139 is a solid option. That free 3G gives you another way to connect to the internet…and one that does not require you to be near a wi-fi network, so it’s great for people who aren’t as comfortable with technology. The audio gives it text-to-speech (where software reads you the words out loud), and audible menus…this is the most accessible device. If you want the “cool gift”, this isn’t it, but if you want a practical reading machine for someone who isn’t as high tech or has a print disability, this is the one.

The entry level tablet

Just as they do with the ad-supported Mindle, Barnes & Noble cedes this one to Amazon. The Kindle Fire 7″ SD does have some of the features of more expensive tables (no Bluetooth ((so no way to use a physical keyboard or wireless headphones)), no HDMI out ((so you can’t connect it physically to a TV)), no camera), but at $159, it’s a great first or extra device. It has text-to-speech, which is a big selling point for me…I listen to TTS typically hours a week. It’s not as friendly for the print disabled as the Kindle Keyboard above (how do you work a touchscreen without audible feedback?), but for people who just like TTS, that’s a big difference. I think this is going to be a hit in the holiday season.

The $199 tablets

This is the big hand(held) to hand(held) combat. In this corner, it’s the Kindle Fire HD 7″. In that corner, and a newcomer, is the NOOK HD.

Let’s break this one down:

The Kindle HD has ads, although you can buy out of them for $15 (making it $214 without ads)

The NOOK has only 8GB of memory, unless you move up to the 16GB at $229. Does that matter? When you start downloading movies (which B&N has just announced, yes, absolutely

The NOOK comes in two different color cases (Snow and Smoke…is it just me, or do those sound like two minor league superheroes?)

Wall charger is included with the NOOK, about $10 with the Kindle Fire HD…without that, you charge by USB

Screen quality goes to the NOOK: 1440 by 900, versus 1280 x 800. What does that mean? What you see on a computer or similar screen is made up of dots called pixels. More dots per inch makes for a better picture…imagine a dot to dot without the lines connects, versus a pencil sketch: the dot to dot might have twenty “pixels”, the pencil sketch could have the equivalent of thousands. With these two, it works out to 243 pixels per inch versus 216. Will you notice it? That’s harder to say

The NOOK is about two ounces lighter…hold it for an hour, you might feel the difference

The NOOK’s processor is a bit faster: 1.3 versus 1.3GHZ

The NOOK has an expandable memory slot: the Kindle Fire would use a wi-drive (wireless external drive)

They both have some kind of individual profiles, but we won’t be able to compare that well until we see how Amazon’s FreeTime works in October

The Kindle Fire HD has a front-facing camera for video calls…no camera on the NOOK HD

The Kindle Fire HD has X-Ray for books and movies and syncing between audio and sight-reading

I’d sum it up this way: the NOOK does beat the Fire on hardware, but the memory size difference will matter to people. I don’t think the camera is a dealbreaker for a lot of folks. I do think Bluetooth** matters, especially if Amazon can work out a current glitchiness with Bluetooth keyboards. People who just look at the “cutting edge” nature of the hardware will lean towards the NOOK (ignoring the lower onboard memory, perhaps being okay with the expansion slot). People who want cutting edge features may lean towards the Kindle Fire HD. The latter is especially true when taking Amazon Prime into account (which is normally $79 a year). That has the Kindle Owners’ Lending Library, and I do take advantage of that…and free Prime streaming.

The big screen tablet

The NOOK HD+ is bigger (9″ versus 8.9″) and cheaper ($269 versus $299) than the Kindle Fire HD 8.9″. Regardless of anything else, that’s going to sell a lot of people on it. On the other hand, there is no camera and no Bluetooth.

Those both come with 16GB…if you go to 32GB, the NOOK+ is significantly cheaper: $369 for the Kindle, $299 for the NOOK.

The Kindle also comes with ads…$15 to buy out.

The Kindle has text-to-speech…and the NOOKs work with UltraViolet, which lets you effectively get a digital file with a DVD. That’s not free for all your old DVDs, and not available on everything, but it’s a good deal.

The NOOK includes a wall charger at no additional cost.

Unless Amazon makes some changes (matching UltraViolet, for example), I think this is going to tend to go to the NOOK, for people who haven’t already committed to Amazon.

If you want to check e-mail or go on the web at the beach, this is the option. That does mean you would pay for a data plan: Amazon is advertising an AT&T one starting at about $50 a year. At this point, though, you are clearly competing with the iPad, and that opens another discussion.

Amazon and Barnes and Noble also have their own special software features:

Amazon’s include

Whispersync for voice (synchronize your place between an audiobook and sight-reading)

X-Ray for movies (pause, and find out about the actors on the screen0

X-Ray for books

X-Ray for textbooks (even linked to relevant videos)

Whispersync for games (sync game progress on different devices)

Prime (annual fee) for free streaming video and a borrowing a book a month from a specific Kindle Owners’ Lending Library)

Immersion reading (hear a voice and read the words at the same time)

Barnes & Noble

NOOK IQ recommendations

NOOK Catalogs (yep, like paper catalogs for stores, but on your device)

NOOK Scrapbook (save magazine and catalog pages in one place)

Customizable screen savers

NOOK Channels…I think these are sort of like the playlists on Songza…expert groupings of similar topics

Quite simply…game on! 😉 Amazon wins on entry level devices, and the super high end. In terms of tablets, Barnes & Noble may gain some serious ground in the middle. I think the Kindle Keyboard is still it’s own market slice, and I didn’t mention the Kindle DX (but that’s not really in the hot mix).

More information will come out in the next couple of months, but that should help you get started comparing them.

What do you think? Does the 8GB versus 16GB difference matter, if there’s an expansion slot? Does Amazon’s reputation just make it impossible for the NOOK tablets to move into first place? How much of a liability is it that Amazon defaults to having ads? Do the “enhanced reading features” at Amazon matter? Will Amazon respond in some way…if so, how? Feel free to let me and my readers know by commenting on this post.

* When I first saw that there were customizable screen savers on the new NOOK tablets, I thought that would mean your own pictures. B&N has a chat feature for help, so I got a clarification:

===

Secure Connection
You are now connected with Richard Green from BN.com

Bufo Calvin: That’s okay. I think I’m good for now…all of the NOOK tablets allow you to select from a pre-loaded “gallery” of screen savers, but not to use your own pictures.

===

** Update: thanks to reader Jackie who pointed out that the B&N press release says their tablets will have Bluetooth. That doesn’t appear anywhere on the site that I could find. I’ll get a clarification from B&N, but that does even things out more if true

Update: Barnes & Noble has now confirmed for me that the new tablets do not have Bluetooth. Unfortunately, that means their initial press release was incorrect. That does happen…Amazon had to clarify the amount of memory on the KFSD, for example. I applaud B&N for having the chat option…although I did have a few issues with it. I tried to get on it this morning after 9:00 AM Eastern…and it was telling me I was outside the hours. Then, I tried to do it later…and it was unavailable because they were too busy. When I did get someone, as you see below, it was a little while before somebody actually connected with me; I would guess it might have been a couple of minutes.

===

Secure Connection
You are now connected with Chanakya from BN.com

Bufo Calvin: Do the new tablets have Bluetooth so you can use an external keyboard?

Chanakya: Good day Bufo, thanks for joining Barnes and Noble Digital Chat Support.

Chanakya: I’m sorry to inform you that the new NOOK hd and NOOK hd+ devices do not have the option of bluetooth.

Chanakya: Are we connected?

Bufo Calvin: Yes, thanks!

Chanakya: Okay.

Chanakya: Is there anything else I can help you with?

Bufo Calvin: Sorry, I stepped away while I was waiting. I appreciate that clarification…the initial press release indicated that it would be available, but I didn’t see it on the spec pages.

Like this:

On September 6, 2012, Amazon announced a new line up of hardware (both RSKs…Reflective Screen Kindles, and the Kindle Fire tablet line).

While we will know more after the user’s guides are released and after the devices get into customers’ hands, I can give you a pretty good idea of how you can you decide between the models.

I’m going to list them in order of price, lowest to highest. That in itself may be a surprise…you can get a Kindle Fire for less than some of the RSKs.

Definitions

RSK (Reflective Screen Kindle): an EBR (E-Book Reader) which does not have lighting behind the image. RSKs are particularly good for long form reading, have a long battery life compared to a backlit device. They can be read easily in bright light, because you read them by light reflecting off of them (the same way you read a paperbook). The technology does not “refresh the screen” quickly enough to handle video. While they can play some games, their primary function is reading. The screens on the earlier models used a brand name technology called E Ink. RSKs currently do not do color images.

Tablet: a backlit device, similar in that way to a laptop, desktop, or SmartPhone. You read what is on the screen by a light coming from behind it. In bright light, they can be hard to read, because the light coming from behind the screen is competing with the light hitting the screen from the front (the sun, for example). Tablets can do full animation (meaning you can watch movies and TV shows, and play games that require animation). They can show many colors. They are good for visiting websites. The software is flexible, and you can install many types of “apps” on them. The battery charge life is much shorter than on an RSK: a day of full use will require a recharge.

Wi-fi: a short-range wireless broadcast of the internet, typically the size of one building or so. Customers will usually use wi-fi they are broadcasting themselves in their own homes, or at a public wi-fi spot (many restaurants provide it)

3G: a method of connecting to the internet similar to a cell phone.

4G: another method of connecting to the internet, but faster than 3G

Special Offers: devices with “Special Offers” have their initial price reduced because they are supported by advertisers. You see advertising on the device when it is “sleeping”, and a small ad at the bottom of the screen where you select the book you want to read. The advertising does not appear in the books themselves.

Note: Amazon now allows customers to opt out of advertising which lowers the cost of the Kindle Fire tablet line for $15. You do not purchase a separate version, but presumably purchase the turn off after receiving the device. For that reason, a “non ad-supported” version of the Kindle Fires below is not listed as a separate device or a separate price point. If you would rather not have advertising, take into account the additional $15 on the Kindle Fire models listed below.

The Mindle (my name for it: it’s also called the “Baby Kindle” and the “Starter Kindle” and the “Kindle 4”) is the lightest Kindle, and the least expensive. It’s an excellent starter model, and can be good for children. If you just want something on which to sight-read books, it’s a good choice. It does not have speakers, so audiobooks are out, and there is no text-to-speech.

Like the Mindle, this is designed primarily for sight-reading: no audio. However, one of the key differences is a new patented light system. The light is still directed at what you are reading, and not your eyes. You can adjust the light for all conditions: bright light outside and in a darkened room. Even with the light being used, the battery life is twice that of the Mindle…reading half an hour a day with wireless off, the Paperwhite will last about eight weeks versus the Mindle’s four weeks. The Paperwhite has a touch screen, compared to the Mindle’s “five-way controller”. The touch screen has also been improved over there Kindle Touch, which it is effectively replacing. The Paperwhite also has these features which are not on the Mindle:

X-Ray (background information about characters and things in a book with no wireless connection necessary to use it…a good study aid)

Time to Read (estimates how long it will take you, based on your personal reading speed, to finish a chapter or a book)

For someone who wants a Kindle for reading, but wants more…a high school versus a elementary school student, a serious reader who wants to read anywhere, any time, the Paperwhite is going to be the best choice.

This one does not have several of the features listed above the Paperwhite: it’s effectively last year’s software. It does, though, have a physical keyboard, which some people prefer. It has twice as much onboard memory than the Paperwhite. This one has 3G: you’ll likely be able to connect at the beach and in the park. It does not have a built-in light. It does have audio, including text-to-speech (TTS), which reads the books out loud to you. It can play MP3s (albeit with limited control over them). The selling points really are the keyboard, the audio, and the 3G. The 3G and the keyboard arguably make it friendlier for those who are less comfortable with technology (the 3G requires no set up). It does not appear to be available without special offers, so I don’t know if you can “buy your way out of them”.

Video, apps, web-surfing…and the it’s 40% faster while the price has been dropped to $159 ($40 less than when it sold out). It’s not as sophisticated as the other more expensive Kindle tablets: the screen isn’t as good, and it has a “two-point multitouch screen” rather than a ten point. It does not have the Bluetooth or the HDMI output of the other ones. Still, this is a really bargain price for a very serviceable tablet. I’ve been happy with the one that I had that is now sold out…and this one is better for less.

This is the next gen tablet. The screen is better than the SD. It has an HDMI output, so you can plug it into a TV to play your video. If you combine that with Prime, you might be able to cut back on your cable bill. It’s new wi-fi system makes it 40% faster than the iPad 3. A front-facing camera will enable integrated Skype. It has Dolby sound. It’s introducing some interesting new features:

Immersion reading lets you listen to an audiobook and see the text on the screen

You can also sync an Audible audiobook with what you are sight-reading…sight-read, and then pick up in the car with the audiobook recording where you left off

X-Ray for books comes to a tablet for the first time

X-Ray for movies: pause a movie, and get IMDb fueled information about the actors in that scene

Whispersync for games…if you’ve unlocked levels on one device, you can continue from that point on another device

Kindle FreeTime brings robust parental controls: you can choose which books and other content each child can access…not just “all books yes or no”. You can choose how much time a child can have each day for different types of content

The software is now back a couple of generations, and the screen isn’t as good as current models. It is the largest screen Kindle, and is the large screen RSK. It has a physical keyboard, which some people prefer. Some people will be surprised to see this on the list, but it is still available new from Amazon. With the free 3G, it’s easy to use for a non-techie. For someone who isn’t comfortable with gadgets and doesn’t need a tablet…and wants a larger screen, this might work quite well.

This has twice the memory of the 8.7″, but that’s not all…it has 4G. That means you’ll be able to connect many more places. It also means you need a data plan for when you use that 4G…but they’ve got an incredible deal with AT&T, where it is $49.99 for 12 months for 250MB per month. They’ll have plans with additional data for more. You’ll also get 20GB of Cloud storage, and a $10 credit at the Amazon Appstore. 4G will be easier than just wi-fi, but it is going to cost more money.

What do you think? Surprised that the NOOK Simple Touch beats the Kindle Touch? Does Consumer Reports still matter? Is Amazon making a mistake by not getting a front lit reflective screen Kindle out sooner? Is it ethical to get a 14-day free trial if you are sure you aren’t going to subscribe to something? Feel free to let me and my readers know by commenting on this post.

Clearly, in some ways, it beats the Kindle Fire. For the same price, you do get a GPS and a front-facing camera. It has Bluetooth and a microphone. It has physical volume buttons. Right now, they also give you a $25 credit at the Google store.

In other ways, it matches the Kindle Fire. Same amount of memory (although I haven’t seen how it is partitioned)…and for $50, you can get 16MB (twice as much). Google Play is expanding, but it already sells music, books, and apps, and they are adding major magazines, and will be selling movies.

It’s a solid, well-respected company that appeals to non-techies. I associate my Android SmartPhone with Google, and so will many other people.

The Kindle for Android app is already available through Google Play. It’s reasonable to assume that Kindle users will be able to read their Kindle books on a Nexus 7.

If a reasonably informed person was deciding which one to get today, a Kindle Fire or a Nexus 7, the Nexus 7 would probably win.

So, why is this good for Kindleers?

All of the above compares the Nexus 7 to the current state of the Kindle Fire…which Amazon is very likely going to change before too long.

You’ll undoubtedly see this referred to as a Kindle Fire killer, but that’s misunderstanding the old saw: “adapt or die”.

Amazon will adapt.

I think they are likely to reduce the price of the current Fire…and to introduce another model that matches the Nexus 7 at the same price.

If the hardware is seen as equivalent, and then it’s seen as Amazon versus Google, Amazon can stay in the ring.

There were already going to be good things coming for us, but I’m sure this ups the ante.

Meta

“Bufo Calvin is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com."